Director Cotton Research Station Dr. Sagheer has advised farmers to drain out rainwater from their cotton fields within 24 hours after rain to avoid damage to the crop.

Cotton is a sensitive crop and its roots would be unable to breathe and absorb food in case of presence of rainwater in the field for nearly 72 hours and it may cause plants’ death, he said in a statement issued here. Farmers should also pay attention to removing weeds and must perform hoeing after rain. The weeds that are not removed by hoeing should be removed by hands, he said adding that weeds serve as habitat for enemy pests and can cause 30-40 per cent production loss by sharing resources meant for cotton plants. Dr Sagheer said that farmers should perform pest scouting twice a week and apply spray only after consulting agriculture officials when pest infestation reaches economic threshold level.